This is a really interesting video for discussion. Definitely, you can talk about the tech trends, but then look one step further … how does the video effectively/ineffectively move from the collection of facts to synthesis? What takeaways are implicit/explicit in the video? This could be a really awesome way to jumpstart a conversation about how merely “the collection of superficial facts” (AASL Standards) is a start, but never a finish when we want to communicate information to others.

(Thanks to Margaret Lincoln for the tip)

Infodocket has shared today’s ALA press release that the Digital Literacy Task Force is up and running. I’m delighted that Buffy Hamilton and I are representing AASL on this task force, which looks at how libraries of all kinds can support the development of deep and wide digital literacy skills. You can read Infodocket’s take on things via the link below. And please let us know what you think would be helpful to have in your toolkits!

ALA: “OITP Digital Literacy Task Force Is Up and Running” + A Few Commens « INFOdocket via kwout

That’s the question two researchers ask in a commentary for the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Now while the authors have come under a certain amount of attack, there are some very interesting points in this article that may point at why fewer people place demands on K-12 librarians to prepare students for college.

Is it possible … just a little bit … that some students aren’t getting the kinds of undergraduate experiences that require the diet of critical thinking and problem-solving that we anticipate?

If the researchers are correct, there’s a pretty low amount of cognitive growth happening for students. And why is that? The authors posit that it’s because everybody’s happy with how undergraduate education currently works. Students get time to socialize; administrators get a steady flow of tuition dollars; professors get time to work on projects; parents get a diploma to frame.

(Not sure I agree that everybody’s happy … I think most undergraduate professors at highly-ranked institutions are pretty happy, but I hear from ones at lower-ranked institutions that they see kids with poor study skills and little drive to learn … but then again, let’s get a reality check: nobody’s publishing my work in Chronicle of Higher Education.)

Take a minute to read this article in its entirety. Does it explain some of the placidity with which you see some parents, students, and colleagues when you make a plea for deep thinking activities? Does it explain why some governmental agencies and politicians don’t prioritize the very kinds of critical thinking skills librarians prize?

It’s a sobering essay, in any event. Read on.

Are Undergraduates Actually Learning Anything? - Commentary - The Chronicle of Higher Education via kwout